The next Audi R8 GT has been spotted wearing a Frankenstein mix of the outgoing version's front and rear fasciae, combined with new aero additions that hint the new model will have more considerably more horsepower when it arrives next year. Spotted while tearing around the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany, this blue test car is not equipped with the revised front grille and new LED headlights and taillights found on the rest of the recently updated R8 range. We're 100-percent positive the Ingolstadt-based automaker will make all of these minor cosmetic changes by the time the GT reaches production. Revisions to the bodywork of this prototype – including a larger rear spoiler and new hood with a large air extractor – do offer some tantalizing clues about what could be lurking beneath the GT's skin.

It's all speculation, for the moment, but highly probably Audi will tune the GT's 5.2-liter V-10 engine from its current output of 560 bhp, to something in the region of 600 bhp. Audi's dual-clutch S Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission also replaces the somewhat balky single-clutch R Tronic 6-speed used previously. The mechanical changes will pit the next R8 GT directly against cars like the new Aston Martin Vanquish, and soon-to-be introduced Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series.

Audi worked hard on the previous GT when it came to eliminating performance-sapping weight. Design changes like a thinner hood and windshield, along with a carbon-fiber decklid, helped trim weight and increase handling prowess and straight-line speed. We bemoaned the fact that GTs sold stateside did without the carbon fiber-backed sport seats, built-in roll cage, and polycarbonate rear window found in European-spec models. It remains to be seen how great the details differences remain Euro and U.S. versions of the next R8 GT.

You can easily spot the roll cage fitted to this test car, along with bright-red brake calipers hugging what appear to be carbon ceramic rotors. The latter were optional on the previous GT, but don't be surprised if Audi makes then standard on the latest version. Nothing comes for free, of course, so expect the lighter, faster and even more desirable 2013 R8 GT to have a base price of more than $200,000 when it arrives in the U.S. next year.